Although Trotter’s portrayal of Cutler is sympathetic — the headline is “Don’t question Cutler’s toughness” — Trotter offers a detail that is sure to add fuel to the fire for those who believe Cutler just isn’t tough enough to be a great NFL player.

“It cut him so deeply that tears welled in his eyes at his locker room stall,” Trotter writes of Cutler’s response to being told other players had criticized him.

Trotter continues: “Cutler appeared genuinely hurt when asked about the comments, saying: ‘No comment on that.’ He then turned his back to reporters, fiddled with some things on a shelf and bit his lip as tears welled.”

Whether you’re a kid getting picked on in school or an NFL player, if people think you’re a wimp, there’s no better way to confirm that perception than to cry about it. Those players who ripped Cutler on Sunday aren’t going to change their minds today when they hear that he had tears in his eyes.

That’s not to say they’re right. For the record, Cutler has missed exactly one game since he first became a starter as a rookie in Denver, and that one game came when doctors wouldn’t clear him after suffering a concussion this season. One missed game in a career that has seen Cutler get sacked 138 times does not make him a wimp.

But Cutler has a long way to go to rebuild his reputation. And crying in his locker isn’t the way to do that.

Wow. And in Chicago, no less. His knee better be shredded to pieces or those fans will destroy him for years to come. No mercy in that town. City of big shoulders don’t tolerate grown men crying over anything but winning a championship trophy.

Love it when fans who would have crumbled in life long before Cutler has calling him out. So easy to pile on a guy when he is down which shows those doing so are less of a man than the person they are calling out. Give it a rest and stop being so quick to throw a guy under the bus.

tears doesnt mean lack of toughness, it means abundance of emotion, which also tends to correlate with passion, which is also a very big part of being an elite qb. im not saying jay cutler is an elite qb. i think he has a bit more to prove. what i am saying is that if you look at some of the more ‘elite’ quarterbacks in the history of the league, theres plenty of tearjerking moments. not least of which is when the toughest qb ever, brett favre, cried openly about retirement a few dozen times. jay cutler felt betrayed by his own teammates (which he was) and thrown under the bus. for someone who has a lot of passion for the game like himself, that could cause a spike of emotions at an already emotional point in his life to create some crying.

so how bout people back off of him…lets see you play qb of a team and get sacked 138 times.

No player that plays in the NFL is a “wimp”. Cutler took 9 sacks in one game earlier this season. Keyboard jocks will always have the first word on who is tough and who isn’t. That said, Cutler’s past didn’t help him yesterday. Walking around on the sideline, looking completely uninterested in a NFC Championship game on a knee that is supposedly hurt only adds fuel to that fire. For all the criticism of Farve, no one can knock his toughness. The guy was literally carted off the field earlier this season. Cutler strikes many as a guy that is selfish and spoiled. It’s hard to question an injury from a seat on the couch or at a bar, but anyone with knowledge of NFL football knows it’s history is rife with players that continued playing thru an injury, even a severe one like the ACL injury Philip Rivers played on a few years ago. Cutler surely wasn’t helped by a 3rd string undrafted QB who outplayed him even before he was injured.

Even after the news of the MRI outcome hits the wire, it’ll be too late to save Cutler’s reputation. If he or the medical staff knew he wasn’t going back into the game, he should have stayed in the locker room for treatment, or lefts his pads in his locker and put on a hoodie and come back out on crutches.

There’s tough, and there’s stupid. If he tore something in his knee there’s no point in going back out there and getting sacked, fumbling, or throwing an INT because he isn’t mobile.

I am not a Cutler fan by any means necessary, but this was the NFC title game. Let’s get real.. He didn’t just take himself out of the game for no reason. Clearly there was a play, or a number of plays that had amounted to injuring his knee.

On the other hand, I truly believe the Bears lost this game because of Todd Collins. He proved on countless occasions when given the opportunity this season, that he CAN NOT!!!! throw a football to save his god damn life. If Hanie play the 2 series where Collins took the Bears O 3andOUT, who knows the outcome of the game.

This is wrong. Players are looking at Brady and others that play injured and comparing it. Playing injured will soon become the standard. We’ll see how many players end there career b/c they played with a severe injury trying “not to be soft”

This game will be the gift that keeps on giving for Packer fans. Not only because it is the biggest game in the long rivalry but also because this issue won’t go away anytime soon, no matter what the coming days tell us on a medical front.

I’m no doctor so I don’t have any clue where the truth lies. But I do know enough to say that Cutler brings this on himself by being a Grade A jerk. That may not be fair. But it’s true.

bakler5 says:
Jan 24, 2011 8:52 AM
I hate Cutler as next as the next guy, but lets not forget that he plays with diabetes, in every game
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What the hell does THAT have to do with his knee, or crying like a baby?

So what if he did have a severe knee injury? Have you ever torn your ACL or MCL? If you have you would know that it is quite possible to walk/stand/function, but the minute you attempt to run/cut/plant on that leg, it buckles and you end up writhing in pain on the ground. I hate Jay Cutler as much as anyone, but it seems prudent to at least wait to see what his injury was (or wasn’t). After the diabetic revelation, I am willing to give him some benefit of the doubt. Who knows.

He wasn’t even hurt, you football brainiacs!! Lovie benched him because he was failing to get it done. then came up with a face-saving mystery knee injury nobody saw. Obvious, if you’re a Redskins fan…….

Cutler has tachnical flaws that diminish his accuracy, but critics display their ignorance when they question the toughness of someone who got up from 52 sacks in 14 games. We don’t yet know the extent or seriousness of the injury yesterday.

he may be injured?they problem i had,is when the rookie QB is sitting by him and Hainey was looking at the defensive photos Cutler wasnt trying to help the kid…he acted like he didnt care?As a Saints fan thank God we have Drew Brees..I would be pissed if I seen Brees doing Chase Daniels that way..Cutler isnt a team player..JMO

OK let’s say for arguments sake that he knee is blown apart inside. Doesn’t he still have something to offer? Tell the other QB’s what he was seeing out there, look at the pics try to get this thing figured out and help your team reach a superbowl by whatever means you can?

He walked the sidelines with no crutches or help and did nothing to try and help his team.

how many more years of him bears fan??? trade to oakland? cardinals? max hall could play better. hanie i feel would be your best bet to start next year. cutler is a wimp, he has necer proven otherwise, anytime. He plays inconsistent, hopes this does not cost lovie his job….

Its interesting when players like Maurice Jones Drew wasnt he hurt the last two games when his team ironically was in the playoff hunt.. Darnell Dockett no question.. Freaking Matt Barnes what have you done in Basketball lately .. critiscize the toughness of a player..they need to zip their mouths.. Twitter makes people wimps

I remember the great Chief Derrick Thomas crying in a game about a bad call. I dont remember anyone questioning his toughness.
Again it depends on the injury. If it was something that caused the knee to buckle, he cant play. Then to get ripped for something that is beyond your control, at least when you have pride, you might cry.

Lets get to the real problem -it’s not that he left the game. It’s that his knee injury appears to not affect him off the field. He was standing on the sidelines and looked perfectly healthy. That’s the problem. Now you can blame FOX for not showing medical professionals not working on him, the Bears for not giving him a pair of crutches or whoever else you want to.

However, given the importance of the game, how do you come out of a Conference Championship game unless you can’t walk? And he was standing on the sidelines….

Cutler’s crappy attitude and arrogance make him a poor leader at times for his team, but any of you armchair QBs who accuse him of being a wimp need to check yourselves. A knee injury can be a career ender if not taken care of properly, and the level of pain is subjective, plus the managers and Docs make the ultimate decision, to play or not to play.
How many of you jackwagons ever got so far as a shot at the superbowl and blew it, then had some of your teammates act like you are the only one to blame? If that isn’t enough to make a strong man cry over the disappointment and sense of betrayal, what is? Tears are only a sign of weakness to insecure girly-men who believe they can’t show emotion for FEAR of being perceived weak.

It doesn’t matter if he was hurt or not.
He went over to the sidelines and sulked on the bench. Later on there was a shot of him standing on the sidelines and it looked like he was listening to music.
Why wasn’t Cutler helping out the THIRD string QB with the plays?
It wasn’t that he got hurt, it was what he did after he got hurt.

OK, I was going to say something snarky here, but the fact of the matter is that he did play an entire season with undiagnosed Type 1 diabetes. The klid lost 30-plus pounds and was constantly tired and weak, but he played the whole year. I can’t stand him because of his attitude, but questioning his toughness just makes no sense.

Its interesting when players like Maurice Jones Drew wasnt he hurt the last two games when his team ironically was in the playoff hunt..

————————————

IIRC MJD’s knee was hurt almost all year. It wasn’t a recent injury that kept him out.

Yeah i know he gutted it out all season but the fact of the matter is when his team needed him the most he couldnt go.. I am not questioning MJD’s toughness but why question another player on his injury, it seems like the pot calling the kettle black with this…

We’re really going to bash Cutler when he had tears in his eyes after he tore up his knee and his team lost the NFC Championship? That’s odd because Favre balls every time someone farts and he’s treated like a freakin god. I also like how all the players bashing Cutler are not good enough to make it to the playoffs or they’re washed up has beens.

Listen: Was that an incredibly gritty performance from Cutler? No. But, at the same time, it’s HIS knee, the Bears’ doctors get paid to make decisions, and if they don’t think he can play QB effectively, end of story.

I feel bad for the guy.

That being said, twitter has got to be the best thing that has ever happened to the world, in the eyes of journalists.

Leave the guy alone for crying out loud. I would be upset to if my body failed in the biggest game of my life and then was subjected to peoples bs comments they made from the comfort of their living rooms. Seriously, go pick on John Boehner if you want to go after a prima dona with a propensity to cry at the slightest hint of criticism.

First off, I want to say that I am a long suffering Chicago Bear fan. I do not believe that Cutler is a wimp. He has taken a terrible beating this year with the protection issues that we have had on the offensive line. He has also done this while being a diabetic. He has a whole new host of problems that many of the players that have ripped him don’t have to deal with. That being said, I do not believe that Cutler has the “drive” necessary to be an elite quarterback at the NFL level. His decision making is suspect at best and horrible at usually too critical points in the game. He has held fans hostage with it and the defense and special teams do not deserve that. They have been playing too well for too long for Cutler to repay them like this. He had an incredible opportunity to own Chicago and he came up short as usual. He could’ve at least mentored the young Hanie with what he saw on the field but he sulked and acted like the typical Cutler that we have all come to know. I wish that we could trade him back to Denver for Orton. I’m more disappointed than anything!

People need to stop codelling him.. If he really wanted to win he would have sucked it up and played. Then yes he should have at least cheered his team mates on when he was on the sideline. In stead he played the pitty act with his lip hanging out like a 4 year old. Crying is unquestionably the worst way to say “hey I’m a Tough guy,” because he got criticized by other players. He just needs to suck it up n decide if he really wants to play.

You Bears fans make me sick! Remember Gale Sayers crying at the banquet over Brian Piccolo? Or Walter Payton crying at his new conference? Would you call those men wimps, sissies or crybabies? Walter Payton would be ashamed of you people this morning! Let Cutler have his MRI first and his injury diagnosed before you rip him to shreds.You hear that sound yet? It’s George Halas spinning over in his grave. I’ve heard it but never wanted to believe it but it appears that Bears fans have no class. Prove me to be wrong please!

Questioning Jay’s toughness is stupid. No one on the Bears has said a bad thing about him. I’m pretty sure Kreutz wouldn’t put up with a sally QB without saying something. (Or breaking his jaw!) We expect too much out of these players. They aren’t men of steel. If you think Jay didn’t want to win this game as much as anyone else your crazy. The loss hurts yes but it wasn’t Cutlers fault. He got hurt! End of story! He’s probably been dreaming of playing this game his whole life and yeah I bet it stung to hear what other players were saying. For all those so quick to run him out of town, lets not forget the past decades (yes were counting in decades) where we prayed for a QB with a fraction of the talent Jay has. There is no question he makes the Bears a better team. Our whole offense deflates when he goes out of the game. Do we now hate Jay so much we are longing for another Grossman type era of mediocrity? Good quarterbacks are hard to find. Jay gives us that dangerous factor on the offensive side with his rocket arm and his mobility. Given the right compliment around him he could look a lot like Big Ben. (Yes that’s a poke at the receivers.) We’re close Bears fans! This one hurt but it’s not the end of the world. Let’s keep building around Jay and were gonna be watching a lot more of these games. Go BEARS!!!!

I’m not a Cutler fan at all, and his past behavior opened him up for some of this criticism. But this “crying” makes him even more of a wimp is the stupidest non-article I’ve read this morning. The guy just lost the biggest game of his career, couldn’t even finish (by his choice or not – we’ll know more after the MRI), and no doubt already knew after sitting there for a half that he might never overcome the image of him missing that half. Then in the middle of that, out comes some reporter that’s been stuffing his face with the media spread all day who will inevitably write an article without citing sources or call it an “op-ed” or blog so he doesn’t have to support any of his thoughts with logic of facts. He gets a question about his peers questioning his toughness (pretty rare in pro-sports), and he’s hurt by it – so that makes him less of a man. If he screams and yells, he’s a punk. If he walks away, the media says he ran out. You media guys are a joke. Just give us facts and lets us come up with our own opinions – we can;t do any worse than you guys.

I am not a fan of Cutler’s but until they provide some feedback as to what his injury was, maybe back off him. If it is a torn ligament or something, maybe he gets a pass. Yes Rivers played with a torn ACL but he had almost 2 weeks to get ready and fitted for a brace on the knee. I’ve torn my ACL and can tell you it’s not something you would be bouncing around on right afterwards.

As for the tears……anyone ever remember a Hockey player by the name of Mark Messier?

Some athletes that actually give a crap about the love of the game show emotion. If I’m a Chicago fan, I’d be glad the guy did that…..shows he isn’t like most of the other me-first athletes and maybe actually cares about what people think of him.

Also, why did Clifton Go out???? What a wino..he just got a kee to the head… Why didn’t he play the next series?????? God, let’s call him out..He went into the locker oroomo and didn’t cheer on his team…what a punk…

Hey Fans, Learn how to be a fan… enjoy the game….don’t disect it…….losers

Not a Jay Cutler fan but what Bears fans and other players are saying about him is pretty worthless. Pretty sure this guy played an entire season with undisclosed diabetes AND he’s only missed one game in his entire career while being one of the most sacked QB’s in the league. Now his jersey is being burnt. Really? Glad the Bears didn’t make it….don’t need trash in Dallas

I have Diabetes and let me tell you that it does not affect your every day life. Sometimes you feel very weak but you take a little drink with sugar or a candy bar and within a couple of minutes you are back to normal. The only time it would affect you is if you have a limb amputated, other than that there is no reason he wouldn’t be able to play football. On the other hand I have never had a knee injury so I don’t know how bad that hurts. I know at the level of speed and violence in the NFL today that if a QB is not at his best he could get killed out there and turn the ball over by not being as mobile as he needs to be. If he thought it was best for the team to sit out than he did the right thing. I’m sure the bears fans will forgive him after one big game next year.

As for him quitting and sulking, we already know he isn’t always the model of maturity. Neither are a lot of other professional athletes, remember they play a game for a living.
Anyone remember when Barkley “accidentally” spit on a child in the crowd back in 91 in Jersey? It wasn’t how he handled himself at that moment but what came soon after that really defined his overall character.
You also only see what the cameras show you unless you were sitting at the game watching Cutler instead of the action. How in the world do you know everything he did after they pulled him? I am not even a Bears fan but I still have to say fans and haters alike need to be a little slower to judge.

If anyone should be crying for their pathetic performance, it should be the whole offensive line.

The Bears are always needing something. For years we needed a QB. By the time we got that, we need a new OL now. And I imagine by the time we get that, we’ll have an old D that needs to be replaced. Always one step behind…

When I lost the NFC championship game, I had tears in my eyes. When I hurt my knee, I had tears in my eyes. And none of the bozo’s talking crap have been ANY different than me, I’ll bet. IF they’ve ever hurt their knee OR lost the conf championship game, let alone BOTH, AND being told people thought you were a ninny, AND you play with diabetes all the time.

Culters problem is, and always will be, that he is not a clutch QB and he stops playing the metal part of the game all too often. his physical skills and “toughness” don’t play a part in his deficiencies. Run, tell, that. PRINT IT!

Questioning Cutler’s toughness is absurd. He has been mauled over the last couple seasons because the o-line is horrible. I do not question his toughness but I absolutely question his heart and leadership. He looked disinterested and chose to pout on the bench. He should have been doing all he could to help collins/hanie study the game pics and help motivate the rest of the team in a championship game the team was still capable of winning. He is a very good QB but he has questionable mechanics and leadership skills…if he fixes those issues he could be top-5 in the league

Even though I do not like the bears, (Go Pack!) I think it is unfair how people are treating Cutler. You can not expect players to play on every injury just because other players do. If he had tears in his eyes in the locker room, so what? It was the NFC championship game! Dear God I have seen so many grown men have tears in there eyes after those type of games were over. Those on his team and others who have spoken out against him should be ashamed. That is no way to create unity in a locker room or a team that has potential. (As much as I hate to say it)

Wow.
Removed my comment again for calling out PFT’s biased reporting? You go to great lengths to alienate the 2nd largest fan base in the NFL for some reason.
Let’s see if you can leave this one up.

Turn this the other way around for a moment.
If Aaron Rodgers was knocked out of the game with an injury and the Bears almost lost to the Packers 3rd string QB you would write a long, rambling explanation about how the Bears were just lucky and the Packers showed heart by only losing by 7 points after losing their QB.
But not this time.

You rip Cutler for not showing enough emotion and now you rip him for actually giving a damn. You want him to fail and if he gets hurt during a game then it is just more fuel for your bonfire.
You don’t have to kick Jay Cutler in the balls while he is down. You did enough of that over the last two seasons.
If it turns out that Cutler needs surgery will you offer a long apology to him and the Bears fans like you did with the Aaron Rodgers-cancer patient thing?
I doubt it.

You got your wish with the Packers-Steelers match up that you were wetting your pants over for the last month. Is that not enough for you to focus on at PFT?
Maybe you can tell us what Lindsey Lohan is up to today.

Most of the people calling Cutler a wimp couldn’t play one NFL game, much less NFC championship game. We have no idea what happened to him or why he wasn’t able to play.

It’s pretty messed up that players are criticizing him for not playing when they don’t even know the whole story. And where are those players? Oh, that’s right. Their teams weren’t good enough to make it to the Championship game.

I am completely confused by all of the “experts” writing about this incident. It is obvious that he was hurt. It is known that the coaches or doctor took him out of the game. What in hell is the beef here, except for people in Denver who hate him? I would like to see any of his accusers strap on his jock and play for 5 minutes in his position.

Besides that, I don’t hear the crit. of Tom the bomb Brady who sank to the ground at the mere touch of the Jets linemen. Get real sports writers, report on one of your favorites objectively, and not pick on someone who you don’t like. The real wuss in the playoffs is Brady.

Pouncey couldn’t put any pressure on the ankle due to the high ankle sprain which at least we know what the injury is exactly!

Oh btw, Pouncey says he still plans on playing despite the injury…nice try
———
Maybe Cutler gutted it out standing and Pouncey is too big of a wuss to walk off a high ankle sprain, plenty of people played with them this year.

Again… McNabb put his career on the line for his teammates by playing with a broken ankle, Rivers put his career on the line for his teammates by playing with a torn ACL.

If Cutler was a leader and had any heart, he would have had them wrap that need up and give him a shot of cortizone so he could get back out there. Cutler on a bum leg still gave them a better chance to win than the other guys and the respect he would have earned would have galvanized his teammates.

If Cutler was so injured he couldnt play, why wasnt anything said about it? They ALWAYS report on the injuries – they always show the hit that caused it, they always explain WHY a player isnt coming back…but there was NOTHING.

I didnt think Cutler was a wimp, nope, I thought he was faking it so that he didnt have to come back out and face the boo’s. So that he didnt have to own the failure that was all Jay Cutler.

Unless I find out today that he had a torn MCL or something like that, which apparently was too difficult to report yesterday…im going to keep believing he gave up on the team yesterday. Just glad that defense never gave up! Hainey gave us hope…at least he tried! At least he didnt give up after that interception/td. We were still in it until the final minute…i’ll hang my hat on the entire team, minus cutler.

I’m glad the Bears failed in their effort to buy a Lombardi trophy with the acquisition of guys like Cutler and Peppers… anyone notice that the two teams going to the SB have the highest % of their own drafted players starting?

I’m glad the NFL is the one league where you can’t buy yourself a championship.

“hscorpio ” brought up a valid point … This probably has just as much to do with the fact that this guy has been thinking of himself as a “Pre-Madonna” ever since he came into the league, he likes to run his mouth, complain and whine when things don’t go his way !!! He brought this reaction on himself … It’s not whether he’s tough or not … Fan are now questioning his heart because of the importance of the game and him always running his mouth ! He probably was hurt BUT he dug this hole a long time ago and people were just waiting 2 jump all over him ! Hell, the fans of Chicago didn’t really have that much faith in him going into this game, what did you expect. And now all the whining and crying ain’t is gonna make it worse because this dude always made himself out to be an “elite” QB in the league, when he is average at best (to streaky), now everybody is gonna take shots … hope he is mentally ready for the rollercoaster ride he’s on … Next will be the rumors of a certain Chicago native coming home to play QB … Can u say McNabb ???

Looking at this, the fact that we made it to the Championship game in the first place should be an indication of how good this team could be going forward. The Packers, Steelers, Pats, Colts ect. are constantly good because they have a good system/players that they have gotten comfortable with. We did this well in a system the guys are just learning. And….

We only lost by 7 points with a backup quarterback playing against the supposed second coming of Christ, Aaron Rodgers.

As soon as the sting of this game wears off people will realize this was not a bad year for the Bears. Those who want to blow the team up are crazy. If you want the Bears to become the Lions then go for it.

It may be that the worst thing that came of this year was exceeding expectations and having to play the packers. Had we played the Falcons I don’t think we would see so much of this end of the world attitude.

If I can find one fault with the Bears this year it’s that management could not identify that Todd Collins was no good. We wasted 2 possessions with good field position with Collins. He should not even have been on the team at this point.

If Brady (a winner) can play with a broken foot, I don’t want to hear you “bleeding hearts” crying about Cutler’s MCL injurt and diabetes! This is the playoffs and if you want to win the Superbowl you need to play thru injuries! These primadonnas are getting millions so stop making excuse for them. You give me 5 million a year, I’ll play with two broken feet, and two broken arms!

It’s interesting to hear that other NFL players were criticizing Cultler on Twitter, players that didn’t have anything better to do yesterday afternoon than WATCH the game on TV with a laptop in front of them.

I bet Peyton was crying in the locker room when he lost last year too. He sure didn’t have the sportmanship to shake Brees hand after the Superbowl. ” Hey Jay, maybe you can join Peyton for a crying session” These prima donnas make millions and cry when they lose! Hope they lose there money too! What will they do then? Kill themselves? LOL!

Is anyone denying how horribly cutler played in the first half, that would have warranted a benching by the coach?

Of course, part of that was the awful play calling. Even in the second half, I didnt see any short slant passes called to avoid the blitzes. Everything needed time to develope, which is fine when things are working for you…which nothing was in the first half. Sometimes you just have to adjust your game to whats happening – short, quick passes would have eaten GB up…we could have mixed in the run and draw places more effectively, giving those down the field shots.

That interception to end the first half was brutal. It was classic Jay Cutler – greedy and arrogant, he couldnt settle (or maybe the coaches couldnt) for chipping away and settling for a field goal if thats all we could get. Cutler didnt have it yesterday, he either over or under threw his guys…if that knee injury hadnt taken him out of the game, I think we would have lost 35-0

He’s STILL a ridiculously wealthy NFL QB with a better job than you, a hotter chick than you, and a better body than you….and YOU, you who are compelled to sit here and insult him are undoubtedly a 300 lb sack of ‘perfection’ (with man boobs) that couldn’t land a babe, or throw a decent pass for that matter, if your minimum wage life depended on it.

Cutler should be glad he doesn’t play for the Ravens. Ray Lewis is constantly throwing “his” teams offense under the bus. It’s always their fault (or the officiating) when they lose. At least Urlacher had his quarterbacks back. As a fan who has watched my quarterback be sacked too many times, sometimes because he likes to hold the ball way too long, it’s hard to put this injury all on Cutlers shoulders. If his o line could block a little he might have tried to stay in a little longer. End of the day career vs a loss in the NFC championship who is really going to pick the latter. The Packers won that game from the first snap if you really watch. However Cutler could have handled the situation much better. He could have been involved in other ways as a leader of the team. Helping Hanie out would have made a huge difference in how everyone is looking at this.

He was injured, not dead! He just sat there sulking on the sidelines instead of trying to keep his teammates pumped up all game. He could’ve put on a headset and helped Hanie with plays…but no, cuz hes Jay Cutler.The guy who responds to questions about his toughness by crying quietly in a corner. Boo-freakin-hoo…

Reading these comments has left me completely shaking my head in amazement as to how everyone seems to think they have a clue as to the extent of Cutlers injury and his passion to play this game. As a therapist and trainer, I have worked with thousands of athletes and hundreds with MCL/ ACL/ PCL injuries. The knee becomes unstable and loses flexibility, meaning that if he drops back he turns himself into Joe Namath trying to run and waving please don’t touch me! Even if he tapes the knee and adds the brace he still is not able to plant and get everything on his throws. The way the Packers were coming he would have risked a total knee reconstruction if they hit him again in that same knee. The left knee is not his plant but his driver to get velocity on his passes. Who gives a damn if he cried, that’s passion and for other peers to do that shows a lack of toughness on their part. What we are questioning is Cutlers maturity, not his heart. I watched this guy get his ass beat against the Giants and he didn’t bitch and the country thought he was tough as nails. Nothing has changed since then. Besides the game was still winnable at that point, am I correct? Remove the pick six, kick the 49 yard field goal and if Urlacher scores on the int it’s a different story correct. I agree, Cutler should have been more involved with Hanie and helping to manage him, but again that’s a maturity issue not a heart issue. He will grow and learn from this and he will become a better leader. What Urlacher, Harris, and Kreutz did was show leadership by defending one of their own and not letting a divisive factor (media) enter their inner sanctum.

wow what crap. The man is taken out of the game by order of the team dr. he is in tremendous pain, has seen his team go to defeat, feels that had he been allowed to play he could have helped them win, is getting balsted by idiots with no clue and so a few tears well up in his eyas and he is a wimp?

I heard Heath Evans today on First Take talking about how Brees played with a torn MCL for quite a bit of the year (and serving as yet another confirmation that the denials of that crazy man’s report who had an axe to grind with the Saints were just that…denials though we already knew it was the truth becauae of Payton’s confirming it to a couple game announcers several weeks ago.). His point was perception vs reality.

I absolutely DESPISE everything about Cutler from A-Z but I think it’s unfair to crucify him for this yet. And if the Bears were smart and want to try to protect him they would NEVER allow the truth about the MRI to come out regardless of what the results are and if he has to have surgery , not specify what for. There is no need to disclose a thing, there are no injury reports to file with the league in the offseason.

I also feel bad for him if he was that upset about it that he cried. The fact of the matter is he can’t change who he is and in most cases it’s not a good thing to try to be who you AREN’T..but it would behoove him as a starting QB to try his best to become better at expressing himself to & with the media. I didn’t think he said anything wrong in his postgame however. He said he was proud of Hanie and he refused to comment on the accusations by the other players.

As a general rant that also applies to this situation, I am sick to death of people in the media and fans who hate or love players defending or crucifying them based solely on their hatred or love. JUST TELL THE TRUTH AND JUDGE BASED ON WHAT FACTS ARE OUT THERE. It isn’t that hard.

To Michael David Smith, the author of this article: you are a piece of classless garbage for writing this.

Cutler is less of a man for showing emotion? He bit his tongue. He could have made the reporter regret waking up in the morning, he could’ve ran away, but no…he sucked it up and went about his business. So, to punish him for not giving a more interesting reaction, you’re going to claim he’s less of a man for almost crying?

REALLY? And yes, stating that people will think less of him for this IS the same as saying you feel that way, too, unless you explicitly state otherwise.

Michael David Smith, you are the lowest common denominator of sports journalism and of thoughtful discourse. You are a parasite. Please quit. Please, please quit.

We also did not see Cutler coaching up Hanie, because Fox only showed him sitting alone. My total gripe is how the Bears got completely out coached with the exception of the defense in the second half. I also believe that when Peppers blew up Rogers he was not the same after that, looked a little foggy. Also I totally disagree with the the way the Bears started the game giving Green Bay the ball with a smoking hot QB. Keep that guy on the side and cold. I believe you give Lovie an extension with stops and you find a better GM and let Angelo walk. Cutler will rebound from this and he has a good group of leaders that will give him examples of how to lead

I agree that real men can cry, but where did you get the idea that the women’s movement was responsible for saying men can’t cry? It’s the opposite. The women’s movement wanted men to be able to step out of traditional stereotypes and show their “sensitive” side. I kinda prefer the John Wayne type myself.

@clownburger …

What you don’t know about high ankle sprains could fill a chapter in a medical book.

@stairwayto7 …That is your typical SEC player!! a quitter!!

Every fanbase has its share of idiots. Guess you’re ours. 😦 What an incredibly stupid comment. Yeah … those SEC players quit themselves to how many consecutive championships? And a good many SEC players have quit themselves to NFL success as well as success for the Steelers. Stop being a twit!

Yeah i know he gutted it out all season but the fact of the matter is when his team needed him the most he couldnt go.. I am not questioning MJD’s toughness but why question another player on his injury, it seems like the pot calling the kettle black with this…

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How is it the pot calling the kettle black? MJD played through injury almost all season. Cutler played, what, a series? The situations aren’t similar at all.

The fact MJD missed the final 2 games is irrelevant since he still played game after game with a messed-up knee.

If it helps, the MCL is rope-like and runs along the inside of the knee. Its very difficult to tell if its sprained or torn, or partially torn which can easily happen, because its so thick, you can tear part of it, and it will still hold up.

I have played football at a high level on a torn MCL and meniscus. It burns mostly and is sharply painful at certain angles.

I think Cutler could have played on it, but you have to get used to it, and it takes a rare person to do that. Plus, he has a habit of jumping off his back foot to make throws under pressure, and that’s not happening with that injury.

I didn’t know Cutler cared enough about other people to let this bother him, but he seems to be a complex guy.

The crying part really cracks me up. A lot of you have no clue as to how much these men cry. We had Brady Quinn out in Arizona working him out and that guy cried like a three year old in Kmart because he was not a top 10 pick. I could care less if they cry. When I’m training grown athletes and they start crying it has no effect on me and what that franchise wants me to accomplish with that particular player. It’s emotion, and athletes feed off of that. I have no problem with Cutler, Taylor or any athlete showing that emotion. What I do have a problem with is punks like MJD, Deion Sanders and others throwing another player under the bus. I lost all respect for Deion because he was not reporting as a journalist but giving his opinion. The NFL beds tp ban Twitter. It’s cowardice of MJD to comment via Twitter instead of manning up and calling Cutler one on one. But MJD was siting at home popping a few back because his team was horse crap. I hope I don’t see some of these athletes in Arizona at my facility, because I will work them until they cry.

Having had the same injury, I’ll just say this. If Cutler injured his ligaments it was probably before the game even started. If you tear or sprain a ligament, you stay down for a while at least until the pain subsides. You also get helped off the field for at least one play, or for the remainder of the game. On both counts, I didn’t see any of this occurring during any part of the game before he left. My guess is he got hurt last week but the team did not want to release the information. He probably tried to play on it but the leg did not respond well and they took him out. The fact that he was not helping either the second or third string quarterback tells me that plans were already in place for his replacement during the game.

Diabeties has nothing to do with a sore knee, that he could’ve played on. If this was Week 16 and the difference between a bye or not, that’s one thing, but this was the NFC championship game, only down by 2 scores and the entire season is on the line in a game that you might never get another chance to play in. Play until you leg breaks off dammit!

I am amazed with all the cameras, replays, closeups, panning the bench, all of the angles, not one shot of cutler getting hit in the knee, no limping-maybe I missed it, but why no comments from the bears or anyone talking about how it happened-not even cutler indicating when, how, who hit him-bizzar-Rodgers is as excited as anyone and cutler looks like he’d rather be anywhere else but where he is. Butkus played with no knees working-enough said

This whole thing is ridiculous. Guy has diabetes, is one of the most sacked QBs in the league, and because he can’t play due to an MCL tear, he’s weak? And Deion Sanders? Really? The guy who makes Cromartie (sp?) look like a great tackler? Seriously. I don’t know if Cutler will ever be as great as his physical gifts should make him. But I’d take that guy over just about anyone in the league, sans the obvious ones (BR, TB, PM, PR, DB, etc.). Get him a personal shrink and I think he’ll be fine. For the 20 or so teams in dire need of an elite talent at QB, I’m sure they’d be willing to take on a mild head case like Cutler. And the Bears fans? Morons!!! If they throw this kid under the bus, you deserve to go another three decades without a top shelf NFL QB.

pitch87mph says:
Jan 24, 2011 8:30 PM
This whole thing is ridiculous. Guy has diabetes, is one of the most sacked QBs in the league, and because he can’t play due to an MCL tear, he’s weak?

—-No, he’s weak because he’s weak. Other players have played with that kind of injury. He could walk. He didn’t even have ice on it. He stood there on the sideline with a sourpuss. It was pathetic.

And Deion Sanders? Really? The guy who makes Cromartie (sp?) look like a great tackler? Seriously. I don’t know if Cutler will ever be as great as his physical gifts should make him. But I’d take that guy over just about anyone in the league, sans the obvious ones (BR, TB, PM, PR, DB, etc.).

—You’d take him over Vick? You’d take him over Schaub? Flacco? Sanchez? AARON RODGERS? You’ve got to be kidding me.

Get him a personal shrink and I think he’ll be fine. For the 20 or so teams in dire need of an elite talent at QB, I’m sure they’d be willing to take on a mild head case like Cutler. And the Bears fans? Morons!!! If they throw this kid under the bus, you deserve to go another three decades without a top shelf NFL QB.

—Shrinks don’t give out heart. He has none. He has no work ethic, either. He’s certainly not an “elite talent” QB. His arm is good…that’s about all. He’s can’t perform under pressure. He’s a pick machine. His footwork sucks. He’s not that mobile. Elite talent QB. My lord. I’d take She-Li over him.

So he cries? What’s the big deal? Lots of guys cry. I still cry when Dumbo’s mom swings him in her trunk. If football doesn’t work out he can always get into politics, maybe even become Speaker of the House.

Regardless of the injury Cutler was disengaged from the team because much like his time in Denver. It is about himself and he would rather brood and pout than actually be a leader and do anything he could do, even if it was from the sideline.

As far as the injury if it was severe as indicated it would have been noticed. No one said anything matter of fact Cutler didn’t show any sign other than a slight limp. Take it from someone who has had a sprained a knee when it first occurs you are in pain. I even question the grade 2 designation because with what he was doing (riding stationary, standing on sidelines, minimum limp) Its a conveniant diagnosis because it doesn’t require surgery and no one will ever know for sure. The only thing we have to go off of is his actions which do not indicate that severity. Cutler displayed with this game he is not a leader and as much as anyone disagrees it is not going to change that fact. I truly believe when he was still ineffective in the 2nd half the injury suddenly became worse.

This article is really just everything wrong with the world. The author choosing to make an issue of Cutler’s crying, as a way to reinforce the fact that he’s a wimp, is truly disgusting.

Cutler injured himself. He left the game. That should be the end of the story. Football is a violent, dynamic sport and I love it more than any other, but we have to remember that at the root of it, these are real people. They play for our amusement and are compensated handsomely for it. They sustain truly gut wrenching injuries and we moan about how it impacts our team’s chances of winning. But these are damn people too. It’s really cruel that anyone, and especially us “fans,” would want someone with an injury- that, by the way,would sideline us normal people for weeks-to play or else he is a wimp. I have to think that there is more compassion than that. You are actually WISHING for pain and physical damage on a human being.

He took alot of hits this season sure seemed tough to me. I wouldn’t want him in the game hurt and limiting how mobile he was anyway. Seems stupid considering the penetration the pack were getting. Anyway…who cares if he cried? There are a good amount of UFC fighters that cry after their wins and losses. Are they wimps now as well?

Or maybe he was crying because he couldn’t help out his team in the biggest game of his life because with his knee hurt, making him ineffective as a passer, taking him out gave his team the best chance to win. I’d say knowing when you’re too hurt to be effective and taking yourself out takes more character than staying in and being ineffective.

The bears fan’s tears could have filled up lake michigan. I know when they saw collin’s come in the game they were trying to cut their wrists with their teeth. Thank goodness they didnt all drink the coolaid. Im not even a bears fan and I was crying for them